San Diego woman charged in rape 'prank'

Apr. 10, 2014
|

A gavel sits on a desk inside a courtroom. / Brennan Linsley, AP

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

SAN DIEGO (AP) - A San Diego woman distraught over losing out on her family's dream house carried out a perverse revenge scheme to have the home's new owner raped, prosecutors said.

The defendant, Kathy Rowe, claims the scheme was a childish prank that got out of control and she intended no harm.

Rowe, 52, began by carrying out mild hoaxes on the young husband-and-wife homebuyers - like putting a stop on their mail and sending religious missionaries to their doorstep, U-T San Diego reported Tuesday.

Her actions soon became criminal, according to prosecutors. Rowe allegedly posed as the wife in online adult entertainment ads titled "Carmel Valley Freak Show," inviting strange men over to the couple's home for sex and describing scenarios of a rape fantasy to those who responded. The wife's photo and address were included in the postings.

"I love to be surprised and have a man just show up at my door and force his way in the door and on me, totally taking me while I say no," Rowe wrote to one man who responded, according to the newspaper.

One man decided to follow up on the offer, but was thwarted once by a locked gate and a second time when the husband answered the door.

The state appeals court last week ruled that Rowe, a county administrative analyst, will have to answer to felony counts of solicitation of rape and solicitation of sodomy - two charges that a Superior Court judge previously dismissed from the case.

In a letter to a judge, Rowe described as "devastating" the moment in 2011 when she lost the house due to miscommunication with real estate agents, and a more attractive bid from the other couple. She had her heart set on the home because it was a single story, to accommodate her severely disabled daughter, and had a pool, to provide exercise for her husband following a heart attack.

"The anger and grief over losing that house (and especially in the way we did) drove me to behave in a very childish way and to do what I thought were childish pranks to let off steam and ease the pain," Rowe said. "I never intended for them to be hurtful."

Neither the couple nor their lawyer responded to a request from U-T San Diego for comment.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All
rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.